Bathroom Fitting Costs

“How much does it cost to fit a new bathroom?”  

For bathroom installations, as with most purchases, larger, top quality will cost more than small, lower quality make overs.

For this reason HomeForce would recommend giving consideration to “what is your budget?” and then working with a bathroom fitter to work out how to get the most from that budget.

Simply asking a bathroom fitter, “How much will it cost to install a new bathroom?” will probably mean you don’t get the most for your money.

This article is intended to help customers work out a budget figure rather than provide a definitive figure for how much a bathroom installation will cost.

We’d recommend reading our article “How to save money on a new bathroom installation

Factors affecting bathroom installation costs

  1. Size of room:– Larger rooms mean more areas to be tiled / covered, though they can be easier for installers to work in.
  2. Structural or reconfiguration work: – knocking through or building walls. Be aware that structural changes, alterations to shared drains and change of use of a room (for example converting a box room to a bathroom) will most probably require a building warrant and so costs for drawings and warrant applications also need to be factored in.
  3. Materials, fixtures & fittings: – A tap can cost from £20 to £300 or more.
  4. The bathroom fitter: – as with any profession greater experience and skill costs more, as do specialists.
  5. Sanitary wear positional changes: – resulting in alterations to pipework or drains.

Average price of a bathroom installation

The search term “Average cost of Bathroom renovation UK” reveals that a supposed “average” cost ranges from £3,000 to £9,000.

One website from Sainsbury’s Bank divides bathroom renovation costs into two categories:

  • A basic make over: – £1,000 to £2,999
  • A full renovation to a luxury bathroom – £3,000 to £5,000

HomeForce disagree with Sainsbury’s and suggest that something from £6,500 would be more what we’d categorise as a budget suitable for a “luxury” bathroom.  

What is a “Make Over” and what is “Luxury”?

Bathroom makeover:

  • Labour to strip out old bathroom but not debris disposal charges
  • Fitting a new bathroom suite in the same position as existing.
  • Tiling or fitting wall board to wet areas only
  • Basic lights
  • Basic / budget sanitary wear, taps, shower
  • Laying a linoleum floor covering
  • Fitting wall furniture: – Towel Rail, hooks, mirrors
  • Home owner would: – dispose of debris, do painting, project manage
Edinburgh Bathroom Make Over
Bathroom Makeover

What does a new bathroom cost?


Luxury Bathroom:

  • Strip out and dispose of old bathroom
  • Supplying and fitting new, mid range to high end sanitary wear, taps, fixtures and fittings
  • Floor and floor-to-ceiling tiling
  • High end moisture extractor fan
  • Ambient lighting
  • Underfloor heating
  • Ladder style towel rail
  • Plastering to make walls good
  • Decoration (ceiling, wood work etc)
Luxury Bathroom
Luxury Bathroom

These figures are naturally open to debate and disagreement. Our investigation extended to viewing on-line forums. We found one person who had a bathroom renovated for £1,600 and another for £4,850. Both claim they had great value though some people commented that the second person had paid way too much; difficult to say without having more knowledge of what was involved in our opinion.

Ball Park Costs for Bathroom Renovation Trades

The following gives an indication of what the costs for each trade involved in a bathroom fitting project might be.

Plumbing

  • HomeForce plumbers charge an hourly rate from £60 per hr.
  • For bathroom fitting jobs they will agree a quoted price. We’d suggest make the following allowances:
    • Strip out and refit like for like bathroom suite – £300 to £400
    • If repositioning items in the suite allow an additional £60 – £120 per item to be moved.
  • Altering or re-routing drains from £150 for internal, significantly more if external scaffolding required.

Electrical Work

  • Electrical work may be required for::
    • Electric shower
    • Shaver socket
    • Heated mirrors
    • Electric / dual power towel rail
    • Underfloor heating
    • Ceiling light
    • Pumps
    • Earth bonding to pipes
  • When replacing like for like allow 15 – 20mins per item
  • For running new cabling allow 2 hours / item assuming the electrical installation meets current regulations.
  • HomeForce electrician’s charge from £45 / hr +VAT

Joinery / Handyman

  • Every bathroom needs the person who’s going to do the miscellaneous tasks and joinery work
    • Secure flooring
    • Fit skirting, panelling, boxing pipes, facings
    • Fit bath panels and frames
    • Put up towel rails, hooks, toilet roll holder
    • Fit lowered ceilings,
    • Make access panels
  • For any bathroom refit we’d recommend allowing at least a day of a Handyman’s / Joiners’ time. So from £200 – £250 should be allowed for as a minimum.

Tiling

  • Allow from £30 / square meter
  • In addition, for preparatory work allow from £20 / sq meter.
  • Preparatory work may include stripping existing tiles, fitting underlay for floor tiles or levelling walls sufficiently for wall tiles.
  • Factors that will affect the cost of tiling:
    • The size of tiles, smaller takes longer, very large tiles require very flat surfaces and so may require more preparatory work.
    • Tile preparation, some tiles require treating before affixing.
    • Porcelain and stone tiles take longer to cut than ceramic tiles.

Plastering

  • Allow £10 / sq meter for skim plastering. A plasterer will charge a minimum / set up cost (usually around £80 – £100).
  • Cost per square meter will increase if “bonding” is required

Painting / Decoration

  • Allow from £140 / day
  • A large portion of the time required for decoration is spent in preparation of surfaces to be painted; ensuring holes are filled and smoothed, walls are washed if needed, gaps caulked, edges are masked and all surfaces protected.

Other Costs

  • Contingencies
    • We’d recommend allowing a 10 – 15% contingency in a budget. It allows for any changes of heart you might have about the bathroom design and also if there are any nasty surprises hidden under the veneer of the existing bathroom.
  • Sundry Materials
    • The main materials will be a bathroom suite, shower, tiles etc but also allow for £200 or more for sundry items (Pipe work, electric cabling, timber for framing, tile adhesive etc)
  • Planning / building warrants
    • Consider fees for drawings and applications as well as council fees. These will vary based on the value of the project itself.
    • Allow for any thing from £1,500 for fees from suitably qualified professionals
  • Debris Disposal
    • Allow from £250 to have all debris disposed of from stripping out the old bathroom
  • Cleaning
    • No matter how conscientiously tradespeople work, when a major project is undertaken dust can get into the smallest and furthest nooks and crannies. Tradespeople will clean up as best they can but they aren’t professional cleaners so you might want to consider employing one. Costs are usually from around £75 for a deep clean.

Materials

There is a vast array of bathroom suites, showers, taps, tiles, wall board, flooring and accessories available for bathrooms and consequently a wide price variation.

It is the selection of these elements of a new bathroom that will have the largest impact on the total price of a bathroom installation.

We have therefore not gone into costs for materials in this article.

HomeForce recommends sourcing materials from trades wholesalers. Usually they can supply exactly the same items for less than high street bathroom showrooms and your chosen bathroom fitter may get a further discount. They might not pass on the whole saving but you may still pay less than you would at a retail outlet.

Arrange a Bathroom installation quotation now:

Complete our tradesperson booking form
Tel: – 0131 315 0000
Email: – info@homeforce.co.uk